


Do you love him?

by Fabulanon



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Angst, Betrayal, Conspiracy, F/M, Heartbreak, Love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-31
Updated: 2019-10-10
Packaged: 2019-10-20 01:47:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 16,517
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17613110
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fabulanon/pseuds/Fabulanon
Summary: Fitz succeeds in taking Will back from Maveth. He's heartbroken over the fact that Jemma chose Will over him, but decides he cares more for her happiness. That is, until he figures out that Will might not be who he says he is...But will Jemma believe him?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! After writing my last story (You could never hurt me..., be sure to check that out!), Seeker45 left a comment with a request for what I should write next:
> 
> "I truly loved this. Could you write one where will comes back with fitz and is secretly helping the monster from maveth? Jemma and fitz don't realize their love for one another till it's too late?. Just a thought."
> 
> So for Seeker45: I hope that this story is somewhat like you imagined it.
> 
> Feel free to leave comments, telling me what you like, what you don't like, and if you have any suggestions as to where to take this. If you have idea's for other 'what if?' scenario's, feel free to leave those as well, and maybe I'll get to it at a later date!
> 
> I'll upload new chapters every Wednesday and Sunday. Enjoy!
> 
> Love, Fabulanon
> 
> PS: I'll add more tags as the story progresses.

**Fitz’s POV**

Fitz grunted as he lowered himself onto a rock to rest. He had been walking for hours now, and was exhausted, but he knew that he needed to keep going if he ever wanted to get home again. If he ever wanted to see  _Jemma_  again.

He looked around. Bloody alien planet... Just sand and rocks as far as the eye could see. No sun, no daylight. Only darkness.

He couldn’t imagine what it must have been like for Jemma, to be stuck here for half a year, all alone. She must have been so scared. So  _lonely_ …

He heard someone clear his throat behind him. Right, of course, Will was still here. Fitz had entered the portal to this planet with Ward to find the ‘it’ that was on this planet. But Fitz had had another mission: To find and bring back Will.

Because, of course, during her six months, Jemma hadn’t been completely alone. She’d had Will.

And she loved him.

“You done sitting around? We need to keep going if we’re going to make it to that portal.” Will said, slightly annoyed.

“Yeah, well, just give me a minute. I ran all the calculations, we have time for a little break. And I’m not adjusted to this planet’s gravity and atmosphere as well as you are.”

Will gave an annoyed sigh but sat down as well. “Well, at least we  _can_  rest now. Are you sure we lost them?”

After meeting up with Will, he and Fitz had worked together to escape Hydra. Ward had chased them for a little while, but Will’s knowledge of the terrain had given them the advantage they needed to lose him.

“Yeah, I’m sure. And I’m also sure that they’d never find that portal on their own. Ward will be stuck on this planet, like that monster deserves.”

Will looked at him curiously. “You have history then? What exactly did he do?”

“You mean, apart from stabbing us all in the back, dropping me and Jemma into the sea, which led to some serious brain damage on my behalf, trying to kill us countless times again, and torturing Jemma?”

Will’s eyes widened. “He  _tortured_  Jemma?”

“Why else d’you think I would have agreed to take them here?”

Will just stared at him for a while, examining him. But Fitz didn’t really care about him. His mind kept going back to Jemma, and how she was still in the hands of Hydra. Ward probably wouldn’t make it back, and like Ward had threatened, they were going to kill her. And it would be a slow and painful death. That is, if  _they_  didn’t get back and get a chance to save her.

His stomach twisted uncomfortably by the mere thought, as his mind continued to replay the sound of her screams. Ward had forced him to listen to them for hours, while they were hurting her. Until he finally couldn’t take it anymore. Despite Jemma begging him not to, he had to give in to their demands. To save her, even though he knew she’d hate him for it.

“You love her, don’t you?” Will asked.

Right, that guy was still here.

Setting his thoughts aside, he shook his head. “None of that matters. She told me herself that she loves  _you_. I’m just here to get you back to her. End of story.”

To emphasise that he didn’t want to continue on the subject, he got up, and continued to walk the way they were headed. Will followed him.

Fitz tried to hate him. Some part of him just wanted to beat the crap out of him, and leave him here, but he couldn’t. He couldn’t hate him. He even felt some sort of admiration for him and was grateful of all that he’d done for Jemma while she was here.

He’d done a bit  _too_   _much_ for her.

Fitz was sure that they could’ve been friends if it was under other circumstances, but he just couldn’t bear to be friends with the one who took Jemma away from him.

No, he’d just take him back to her, and once they were reunited, he’d back off. He’d do that for Jemma. He just wanted her to be happy, and if that was the way to do it, he’d make that sacrifice for her.

The same way he’d sacrifice everything else for her.

\--------------------

When they reached the location of the portal, they saw that they weren’t alone. Fitz couldn’t imagine how he got here, but he saw Coulson on the other side of the sandy hill. Together with Ward. They were too far away to do anything, and Fitz could only watch as Coulson crushed the life out of Ward.

He deserved that, definitely. Payback was long coming for him. But not like this…

Fitz stood there in shock, as he’d never expected Coulson to do something like this, before the was pulled out of his trance by Will.

“Fitz! The portal! There it is, we have to go!”

Fitz turned around to see the portal in the ground, and Will running towards it. He then turned back to Coulson.

“Sir! The portal is open! We have to go!” He shouted to him.

Coulson seemed to have heard him and turned his head to look at him. He hesitated for a moment.

“Sir, he’s dead, just leave him! We have to go, now!”

Coulson nodded, before he removed his prosthetic hand, and left it beside Ward’s body, before running towards Fitz. They didn’t have any time to talk, or say anything else, and instead just jumped through the portal just before it closed behind them.


	2. Chapter 2

**Jemma’s POV**

Jemma was pacing around in the Zephyr. She’d preferred to stay in the castle, and wait for Fitz to return, but they’d all been ordered to evacuate. Her mind was racing, and she was terrified for Fitz.

Last time she saw him, he jumped through the portal to Maveth to save her. With Ward.

She had the utmost faith in him that he’d find his way back, but she couldn’t help but worry. He was her best friend, and she didn’t know what she would do if she lost him.

And it would be  _her_  fault if that happened. He had gone in there to save  _her_ , even though she had begged him not to. To just let them kill her, and be done with it…

“Are you sure you don’t want someone to check out those injuries?”

She was pulled out of her thoughts by the sudden question and turned around to face Bobbi. She shook her head.

“I’m fine. And I want to be here when they get back.”

Jemma saw Bobbi’s eyes drift off to her collarbone and noticed that one of the many burns she had was showing itself. She tried to make it look as natural as possible when she shifted her shirt just enough to cover it up.

Even though Bobbi didn’t press any further, she knew that she had noticed. Because, of course, Bobbi always knew when she was lying.

“Alright then.” Bobbi said finally. “But know that we’re all here for you if you change your mind.” She walked away a few steps, before she hesitated, and turned back around. “Oh, and, Jemma. If you ever need someone to talk to, I’m here for you. Don’t let it haunt you, okay?”

Jemma nodded, and tried to force a smile on her face, to pretend that she really was alright. But by the worried look on Bobbi’s face, she knew that she wasn’t convinced.

Because it was already haunting her. She had never been tortured before and hoped that it’d never happen again. She just wanted to leave this mess as far behind as possible.

If only Fitz would return soon…

**Fitz’s POV**

After they’d returned through the portal, they had been met by Daisy and Mack, who’d given them a quick run-through of what had happened. Apparently, they’d managed to infiltrate the castle, capture Malick, and take out the rest of Hydra. The rest of the team had retreated to the Zephyr and been ordered to destroy the building if they didn’t return.

But Fitz was barely listening. He didn’t care about the fact that the inhumans on the site had been killed, or that Lash was on the loose. All he wanted to know was what had happened to Jemma. If they had found her, if she was okay, if she’d made it out…

But he didn’t dare to ask.

But when they’d returned to the Zephyr, he could finally breathe again, because there she was. She looked weak, hurt, and exhausted, but she was there.  _Alive_.

She just stared at him for a moment, with tears in her eyes, before she fell into his arms. Fitz held her tightly and didn’t ever want to let go again.

“Don’t ever do that to me again…” She choked out between her sobs. “Don’t you dare leave me like that.”

She pulled back, and planted kisses all over his face.

Except for his lips.

Because of course she wouldn’t kiss him there. She cared for him, and was relieved that he’d returned, but she didn’t love him.

Even though he had rarely been so happy to see her, the reunion was bittersweet, and that became painfully obvious when he saw her gaze drift off to somewhere behind him.

He turned around to see where she was looking, and saw Will standing right behind him.

Right… Will…

The man she  _loved_.

He had dreaded this moment ever since he heard about her true feelings for him. The selfish part of him just wanted to hold onto her, and pull her away from Will, but he couldn’t.

Because the way she looked at Will, was a way he’d never seen her look  _him_. He couldn’t find it in his heart to take that away from her.

“Go to him…” He said quietly.

Jemma let out a startled gasp and turned back to look at him. By the look on her face, he could tell that she’d forgotten about him for a moment.

She opened her mouth to say something, but hesitated, unsure of what to say.

Fitz took her hand and squeezed it reassuringly.

“Just go to him… I’m sure he missed you.”

“But Fitz-”

“No, Jemma. It’s okay. This is why I brought him back. For  _you_.”

She looked hesitant, as she shifted her gaze from Fitz, to Will, and back again.

“I’m so sorry, Fitz.” She said quietly.

It felt like she’d just stabbed him in the heart. He knew she couldn’t change her feelings, but he still felt… betrayed. Not necessarily by  _her_ , but just by the  _situation_.

He couldn’t even bear to look at her, and just closed his eyes as he nodded. He could feel her press another kiss to his cheek, before she let go of his hand, and slipped away.

Another stab to his heart.

He took a deep breath and opened his eyes. With trembling knees, he walked to the door. Just before he left the room, he turned back around, and immediately wished that he hadn’t.

The image of Jemma kissing Will like that would haunt him forever…


	3. Chapter 3

**Jemma’s POV**

She was sitting in her room, with Will. For the first couple of minutes, neither of them had been able to say anything, and just stared at each other in silence. But as soon as they’d found the words for it, she’d asked him about everything that had happened since they had been separated, while he did the same.

Jemma had rarely been so happy to see anyone in her life, but still felt guilty. After everything Fitz had done for her, she just left him for someone else.

“Jemma are you okay?” Will suddenly asked.

Jemma was pulled out of her thoughts, and suddenly realised that he’d stopped talking several minutes ago. She hadn’t even been listening to the last part of his story.

She shook her head. “Yeah, I’m fine. Sorry… Just a lot on my mind, I guess.”

Will leaned forwards for another kiss, and she happily accepted.

“Tell me the truth: are you sure you’re okay? Fitz told me they hurt you.” Will asked again after the kiss broke.

His hand drifted off to her cheek, where a small cut was still visible. She turned her head away before he could reach it.

“Really, I’m fine. You know me, Will. After all the time we spent on Maveth, I am perfectly capable of handling myself.”

But Will didn’t give up and kept staring at her.

“Take off your shirt” He suddenly asked.

Her eyes widened. “Excuse me?”

But he just kept staring at her, and she knew that he was dead-serious.

He repeated the question. “Take off your shirt. I want to see how bad it is.”

Jemma hesitated for a while, before she reached for the bottom of her shirt, and pulled it over her head in one smooth motion.

There were burns and cuts all over her body, most of them still untreated, since she hadn’t had time for that yet. After she’d arrived back in the base, she’d tried to wash away as much of the blood as possible and assess the damage. But she didn’t want anyone to worry, so she’d just put on a new shirt, to conceal her injuries. However, she could tell it was bad, since every time she moved, she’d feel a sharp pain in her side.

Broken ribs…

Great.

“Jemma… please. Get this checked out.” Will said quietly. “I don’t want to see you hurt.”

She sighed. “It’s too late now. It’s night-time, and everyone is probably asleep. But if it’ll calm your worries, we can go to the lab now, together.”

She put her shirt back on and got up. However, in her hurry she’d forgotten about her broken ribs, and a sharp pain made her lose her balance.

Will caught her just in time, and gently pulled her upright again. For a couple of moments, he didn’t let her go, and just held her in a warm embrace.

She felt so calm.  _Safe_. For a moment, everything just seemed perfect, and she didn’t want him to ever let go.

But of course, he had to.

“Let’s go to the lab now. But be careful. I don’t mind you falling for me, but not this literally.”

She just rolled her eyes. “Please don’t ever say that again.”

And they left for the lab together.

\---------------------------------------------

**Fitz’s POV**

Fitz knocked on Jemma’s door. No answer. He’d hoped to talk to her for a bit, so that maybe he could ask her how things would go from now on. Moreover, he just wanted to check in on her after what happened at the castle.

But she wasn’t in her room. Sure, she could be sleeping, but he doubted that. After everything that had happened,  _he_  couldn’t sleep. And he was sure that  _she_ ’d have the same problem.

Wondering where she could be, he went looking for her, and found her in the lab.

With Will.

Because of course she was with Will.

She was sitting on the table, while Will was carefully treating her injuries. They looked… intimate, and Fitz wondered if he should interrupt. He was about to walk away when he heard his name.

“Fitz!”

He turned back around to face Jemma, who came walking up to him. She opened her mouth to say something, but Fitz didn’t let her finish.

He didn’t want to know what she was going to say, or what excuses she’d make up for being with Will. He just wanted to know if she was alright.

“Are you okay?” He asked quickly.

She looked down at the ground, averting his gaze. He was unable to read her expression, but she looked… torn. The way she was unable to look him in the eye said enough.

“I’m okay, Fitz. Will and I just looked everything over, and though I need some time, I’ll be fine. Don’t worry about me. But… thank you for checking in.”

Fitz stepped forwards, and wanted to take her hand, before Will was suddenly standing next to them, and wrapped his arm around her waist.

It was a message. A  _warning._  Jemma was with Will now. The way he pulled her away slightly felt possessive,  _competitive_.

Like he was trying to remind Fitz of his place, and back off.

He got another gut punch when Jemma didn’t seem to resist, but instead just accepted Will’s gesture. Her eyes were sad, and apologetic, but the rest of her body language didn’t seem to show in any way that she regretted her decision. Or that she was planning to change it.

Fitz suddenly felt very nauseous and didn’t know how he was still able to stand. He had to get out, quickly.

He’d known that it would be difficult, with Will being here, but this was more than he could handle.

He couldn’t even bear to look at her, when he spoke with a slightly choked-up voice. “Well, I’m glad to see you’re okay. And I suppose you’re well cared for now. You’re a lucky man, Will.”

He could barely breathe as he walked away. He heard Jemma shout his name behind him, but he ignored her. It was just too painful.

He had always wanted for her to be happy. He’d do  _anything_ for her. He  _had_  done  _everything_  for her. But there was always something more that she needed. And what she needed now was the worst thing she’d ever asked of him:

To let her go.

_Forever._

_\---------------------------------------------_

**Will’s POV**

Will woke up in the middle of the night. He looked at the clock.

4:15.

When he looked beside him, he could see Jemma sleeping next to him.

After he’d returned, they didn’t have a spare room ready for him. He was fine with sleeping in some spare bed somewhere, but Jemma had  _insisted_  that he’d share her room. And it’s not like they hadn’t shared a bed before…

Which could of course be interpreted in several ways.

However, now that he’d woken up, he couldn’t sleep again. He had tried to hide it, but somewhere deep down, he couldn’t help but feel guilty.

He loved Jemma, he really did.

But of course, there was something she didn’t know.

_“I’m in the base…”_  he thought to himself.

But then a voice in his head suddenly replied.

_“Good. Any thoughts so far?”_

 

_“I’ve seen several inhumans here. And these people have the right resources to locate more. Overall, this will be a good place to start…”_

 

_“Excellent! Maybe it wasn’t such a bad idea to keep you alive when I took your body… Try to get closer to these people, like you have with this woman.”_

 

_“Jemma? She trusts me completely. I’ll probably be able to get plenty of information out of her, and she wouldn’t suspect a thing.”_

 

_“Good. She will definitely be useful... Keep your cover for now. We’ll initiate our plan soon.”_

 

_“I’ll be looking forward to that…”_

 

The voice in his head stopped. After casting one last glance over Jemma to see if she really  _was_  asleep, he got up and walked to the bathroom for some water.

But when he looked up in the mirror, he smiled.

Because from the reflection in his eyes, he could see Hive smiling back at him.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone. I'm so sorry for the late update, but I have it here. I hope you enjoy!

**Daisy’s POV**

Daisy walked by the lab. She saw how Jemma was quietly working on some things on her own. The rest of the lab was abandoned.

Strange. Where would Fitz be? For the past few years, those two had been inseparable. They were always working on something together, laughing, and talking about things that only they could understand. But now she was alone, completely focussed on the task at hand.

“Hey, Jemma.” Daisy asked quietly, entering the lab.

Jemma jumped up, startled, before turning around.

“Don’t worry, it’s just me! I just wanted to know what you were working on.”

Jemma turned back around and showed Daisy the things that were on the table. Sand, pieces of rock, and some kind of barren vegetation.

“I’ve just been researching Maveth a bit more. It’s not like I ever want to return there, but since all the time me and Will spent there, I can’t help but be curious.”

Daisy laughed. “Glad to see that you never change.”

Jemma rolled her eyes, and turned back to the table, before she carefully picked up a plastic bag with a tiny piece of something that Daisy couldn’t recognise.

“ _And_ ” Jemma spoke a bit annoyed. “I’m trying to figure out more about that  _thing_  that lived on that planet. After one encounter we had with ‘it’, Will managed to take this. We think it’s a piece of his skin or something. From what DNA I could extract, it looks like it’s…”

She fell silent for a while, clearly uncomfortable.

Daisy just examined her for a while, curious what could be so intriguing. “Simmons. Spill it. What’s going on?”

She took a deep breath. “It looks like it’s  _human_. Or, well, at least  _inhuman_. But not like anything I’ve ever seen before. It’s ancient, and the human DNA I found more closely resembles some prehistoric ancestor to the human race than anything you’d come across these days.”

Daisy felt like the breath was knocked out of her. This thing was inhuman? Like  _she_ was? What did  _that_  mean? And what would Hydra have to do with that?

“So, you’re saying this thing is centuries old?” She asked carefully.

Jemma nodded. “Looks like it. I’m still trying to figure out more. Coulson is also trying to convince Malick to tell us more, as we speak. Not that it really matters all that much. The portal is destroyed, and that thing will be forever stuck on Maveth.”

Daisy nodded. But still, something felt  _wrong_.

“Simmons, why are you working on this all alone? I can’t imagine this is easy for you, with everything you’ve been through. Why can’t you ask for Fitz to help? I think that at this point, he knows about as much about that planet as you do.”

Jemma turned her head away and avoided her gaze.

“I don’t know where he is. He’s just acting kind of… distant lately. I’ve tried to talk to him, but he keeps avoiding me.”

Why would he be avoiding her? They’ve been so close for as long as she’d know them.

“Did you get into a fight or something?”

Jemma shook her head. “Not that I know of. I just know that he just acted kind of strange when Will came back. And I know that things must be hard for him, but I just can’t get through to him.”

She sighed.

“Daisy… would you mind… talking to him for me? I want to figure this out, really. But I can’t if he shuts me out.”

“Yeah. Okay. I’ll give him a little nudge your way. But I can’t solve your problems for you. I have no idea what happened between the two of you, you’re going to need to figure that out by yourself, okay?”

She pulled her into a hug.

“Now, don’t let me keep you from your work. We’ll talk soon, okay?”

\---------------------------------------------

**Fitz’s POV**

Fitz was sitting in his room, watching the security footage of Malick’s containment room. It might have been Ward who came with the idea, and Giyera who’d done it, but he still held Malick responsible for torturing Jemma. He could still hear her scream anytime he closed his eyes.

Malick had been the one who’d forced him to go to Maveth to save her.

And because of that, Will was back. And Jemma was gone.

The security footage was showing how Coulson was standing on the other side of the semi-transparent wall of the holding cell, questioning him.

“What do you know about the thing that is stuck on Maveth?”

Malick gave a sarcastic laugh. “And why would I tell you anything?

“Because I can lower the oxygen-supply to your cell. And that’s going to be very unpleasant.”

“Go ahead then, kill me. The portal is closed, my life’s work is destroyed. Do you really think I care about dying?”

“Maybe not. Which is exactly why we don’t intend to kill you. That’s Hydra’s thing, not ours.”

Malick let out another sarcastic laugh. “And what happened to Grant Ward then? I heard you killed him with your bare hands. You might pretend to be better than us, but you’re just as rotten in your core.”

Fitz could see Coulson’s hands tremble with rage, but his face remained calm.

“Your words don’t matter to me. That’s all you are right now, and all you can do. Your plan failed, and now you’re our prisoner. All your followers are dead or have fled. The only people that returned from that planet were  _our_  people. Me, Fitz, and even the one who saved agent Simmons, Will Daniels.”

After Coulson had said this, Malick’s eyes lit up. “You mean to say that the astronaut is here?” He gave a little grin.

Fitz sat up a little straighter, as a tingle ran down his spine, but he was unsure as to why. He was captivated by the footage, waiting desperately for Malick to say what he knew about Will. But he didn’t. It was an awkward transition, that somehow made Fitz feel like Malick knew more than he was letting on. Though he couldn’t see if Coulson had caught on to that as well.

“The ‘it’ you keep referring to, is known to us as the ‘Hivemind’. It’s an ancient creature that was banished to that planet centuries ago and has been waiting for all that time to return to earth. He’s a god of unimaginable power, with the ability to command the elements. But even more incredible: He has the power to take over and control people, taking over their bodies, making them part of the ‘hivemind’, and getting them to do almost anything he wants. Not humans, but  _in_ humans in particular… For example, his sway could get your dear Daisy Johnson to destroy this entire base…”

Coulson cut him off. “She’d never do that! Especially when this ‘Hive’ is still trapped on that planet.”

But Malick just continued to laugh. “I suppose you’re right. At least I hope so. For your sake…”

His hollow laugh continued to ring through the speakers of Fitz’s laptop, until he heard a knock on his door.

**Daisy’s POV**

Daisy knocked on the door of Fitz’s room to announce herself and entered. She could see a slightly startled Fitz quickly put away his laptop.

“Daisy. Come in. Can I help you with something?”

Something was going on. He seemed nervous. And by the look on his face, he didn’t want her to see what he’d been doing on his laptop.

“Am I interrupting something?” She asked carefully. “Is everything okay? What were you doing?”

He just shook his head. “Nothing you should worry about. I was just watching Coulson interrogate Malick. That man gives me the creeps.”

Right… Jemma had already said that while she was in the lab, Coulson had been with Malick. “What exactly did he say?”

Fitz thought for a while. “I’m not sure, but I think he knows something. Something that I don’t think he’s going to tell us. He seems to content. Something’s off, but I can’t tell what.”

“Well, why don’t you go see Simmons in the lab? She’s working on ‘it’s’ DNA, and some samples from that planet. I’m sure she could use your help.”

Fitz turned away and sat back at his desk. He opened his laptop again and started working on some research he’d been doing on his own. It was clear that he didn’t feel that much like talking.

“I’m sure she’ll be fine without me.” He said with his back to Daisy. “Will’s a clever guy. He’ll be able to help her out just fine. She doesn’t need me anymore.”

Daisy was unsure of what to do, but this reaction quickly made her realise what was going on. She walked over to the desk and sat down on a chair next to him. Fitz was pretending to be working very concentratedly, but Daisy couldn’t see anything important on the screen of his laptop. Moreover, she could see that he was fighting back tears.

She put her hand on his shoulder for consolation, before she carefully asked: “Do you still love her? Is that why you’re avoiding her and Will?”

Fitz’s silence said enough. He loved her. Of course, that wasn’t news. Daisy had known so for a long time, just like the rest of the team. But even though everyone suspected that there was something more going on, neither Fitz nor Simmons had ever confirmed that. But now, Fitz had been forced to bring back another guy from a deserted planet. And Jemma had left Fitz for Will.

“Does she know?” She finally asked.

Fitz gave a careful nod, before he put his elbows on the desk, and rested his head in his hands. There was a moment of silence before he suddenly spoke.

“Just before she was taken by the monolith… I’d asked her out. And she said yes… Then, after she vanished, I just couldn’t let her go. Too many things were left unsaid, and I couldn’t live without her. But then when she got back, she’d changed… I first suspected it to just be the trauma of being alone for 6 months, until she told me about Will.”

He took a deep breath before he continued. Daisy slowly felt a wave of nausea hit over her. Fitz was in love with Jemma, and she  _knew_. And yet, she’d just left him for someone else! There had to be a good explanation for that, right?

“I promised her that I’d do everything I could to help her get Will back. I knew she cared for him, and I couldn’t think to just leave him on that planet after he saved Jemma’s life. But I slowly started to realise how deep their connection truly ran… And then, one day we were just in the lab, and I couldn’t take it anymore. I could feel her slipping away, and I just… kissed her. And she even kissed me back. But now, when I see how she’s just hanging off Will like that, I realise that she never loved me. I can’t go near her now, it’s just too painful.”

Daisy was shocked. “Wait, Fitz. I knew you two cared for each other more than you were letting on, but I didn’t know you _kissed_!

She didn’t know what to say. She felt conflicted. But even though Jemma had been her best friend for a couple of years now, she couldn’t help but feel angry with her. After everything Fitz had done for her, she just put him aside like yesterday’s trash. She now had Will, and Fitz was left here, empty, and heartbroken.

But they’d been Fitz-Simmons for so long. Best friends since they were teenagers. And Daisy just couldn’t bear to see that end now. “Fitz… I understand that it’s hard but promise me that you’ll go talk to her. I just spoke with her in the lab, and she wants to see you. If it’s too much, don’t go to Will just yet, but at least talk to Simmons. You’ve been so close for so long, don’t give up on that now. I’m sure you two can work something out.”

Fitz turned to look at her. “She sent you, didn’t she?”

“Yes, she did. Because she still cares for you. Don’t let that to go waste.”

Fitz sat up and nodded. “Okay. I’ll go talk to her. But not now. I need to check something first. I think I may have found something on ‘Hive’.”

“Hive?”

“Yeah, that’s how Malick called it. Anyway, it’s just a hunch I have. I’ll tell you when I’ve figured it out.”

Daisy nodded. “Alright. I’ll leave you to it, then. But don’t forget to talk to Simmons.”

“I won’t. Thank you for checking in on me, Daisy.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Fitz’s POV**

The things that Malick had said, bothered him. He seemed so pleased, not at all like a man who’d been defeated. He knew something but wasn’t letting on what. One thing was for sure: They hadn’t seen the end of this.

But what did Hive have to do with that? Hive was still stuck on that planet, and the portal was destroyed. Or would he have other ways to return?

It was night-time when Fitz left his room for the lab. He needed to review Jemma’s work, and see what she’d had figured out about ‘it’. But he didn’t want to see her. She’d probably be asleep by now, and he’d be able to work in peace.

The lab was abandoned when he arrived, like he expected. Quietly, he let himself in, and walked over to Jemma’s workspace, where he began looking through the files and data she’d left there.

It was complicated. That thing was anything but normal, and unlike anything he’d ever seen before. It had complex strands of DNA that Fitz didn’t make any logical sense.

One thing was clear, and Jemma had already figured that out as well: That Hive was a centuries’ old inhuman, with ancient human DNA. But there were a lot of other things mixed in as well. Genetic strands that seemed out of place, extra chromosomes…

Some of the files had some notes next to them, written in Jemma’s handwriting. There were questions, anomalies, and things that didn’t seem to make any sense.

Some of the questions were later crossed off, with a possible explanation written underneath them with a red pen, though some just had a big questionmark written over them.

It felt like he was there for hours, just staring at the data, and trying to figure out what Jemma couldn’t figure out. He was at a loss, and about to admit defeat when it suddenly clicked.

It took a moment for him to realise it, and even longer for his head to accept his hypothesis as truth. And he remembered what Malick had said to Coulson.

_“He has the power to take over and control people, taking over their bodies…”_

He put down the files and begun shifting through some of his own. He took out the research he’d done on Will while he’d been trying to help Jemma get him back. He’d wanted to know everything about him, and also found some useful information on his teammates.

Including genetic data…

He compared the genetic material from the astronauts to the divergent pieces of DNA in Hive’s code, and his breath stopped…

It was a direct match.

Did that mean…?

No…

It couldn’t be…

Fitz just stared at the data for a while, dumbstruck, as the pieces of information slowly started to make sense.

Hive hadn’t just killed Will’s teammates… He’d  _consumed_  them. Taken over their bodies, their minds, every part of their being…

He began pacing through the room.

That meant that they had no insurance that Hive was still stuck on Maveth. He could’ve taken over anyone who’d been there and returned.

He started thinking. He himself, he wasn’t taken over, right? He’d probably know. So that would leave Coulson, Jemma, and…

And…

Will.

He thought back to Malick’s confession, trying extremely hard to remember every little detail of what he’d said. He’d felt kind of weirded out about how Malick mentioned Will one moment, and continued talking about Hive the next…

Because Malick must have known…

Will wasn’t who he said he was. He was Hive. And he was with…

He had to look up when the door suddenly opened.

Jemma…

She was in so much danger, and she didn’t even know…

 

**Jemma’s POV**

Jemma walked into the lab and was met with the sight of Fitz quickly clearing out some papers.

“Fitz…” She asked, “What are you doing here, it’s the middle of the night!”

He didn’t look up at her but kept staring at the ground.

“I could ask you the same thing.”

She was taken aback for a moment, unsure of what to say. He was avoiding her gaze. He only ever did that when he was lying to her.

What was he hiding?

She sighed. She was too tired to deal with this now.

“Fitz, please, don’t do this. Don’t turn the question around like that. What were you doing here, and why do you look like you’ve just seen a ghost?”

She stepped forwards, trying to see the files he’d been looking at, but he quickly pulled them away. All she could see that it’d been some of  _her_   work.

“Nothing. I just had a hunch, wanted to check something.” He said quickly.”

And they called  _her_  a bad liar.

“Fitz. That’s my research! Have you been snooping through my desk in the middle of the night? What happened to just  _asking_? Is this really all just to  _avoid_  me?”

It felt like a gut punch, and she had to fight back tears. They’d always shared everything together and had always worked together. They’d never doubted each other’s trust before. But now he went to such lengths  _not_  to see her, and clearly there was something he didn’t want for her to know.

She felt betrayed, hurt…

 

**Fitz’s POV**

Right as he was about to burst and start shouting at her, another person entered the room.

Of course…

She was always accompanied by fucking  _Will_.

He felt a wave of anger come up, as his mind played out all scenario’s in which he gave Will a good piece of mind, until he remembered what he’d just found out.

Will was Hive…

He swallowed everything he’d been about to say and kept quiet. If his suspicions were true, and Will/Hive would find out, he’d probably be taken out of the way. And then there’d be no one left to protect Jemma.

Instead, he just unleashed his emotions in a frustrated grunt, that Jemma apparently took for jealousy.

“Don’t be like that Fitz…” Jemma said sharply. Another warning. Not just from Will now, but  _her_  as well.

He just put his hands in the air, a gesture somewhere between frustration and hopelessness.

“Well, I’m sorry. I’m sorry that I wonder why you and Will come here in the middle of the night. You were never the one to do something so sketchy.”

He’d regretted saying that right after. He hadn’t meant to insult her, but he was just too angry to contain it anymore. He couldn’t keep pretending to give Will and Jemma his blessing. Especially not after what he’d just found out.

But of course, she didn’t know that.

“Well, what about you then? You’re snooping through my stuff while everyone is asleep and won’t even tell me what you’re doing here!”

“I told you! I wanted to check something!”

“That’s not enough Fitz! I thought we always shared everything. Don’t you trust me anymore?”

They both fell silent after that, and Fitz didn’t know what to say. He wanted to explain it to her, but not with Will standing right there. Moreover, if she knew what  _he_  knew, Will/Hive would certainly find out. She’d become a target.

No, it was better if she didn’t know.

After a long silence, Will suddenly cut in.

“I’m sorry if I cause tension between you two, I never wanted to break your friendship…”

‘Right… of course you didn’t’ Fitz thought sarcastically.

“Fitz, don’t get angry with her. I wanted her to take me here.” He continued. “See, I’ve been gone from this planet for over a decade, and I come back to a world filled with modern technology, and powered people walking around. I’m a scientist, just like you, and I just wanted to know a bit more about these ‘inhumans’. So, Jemma wanted to show me, but she was too busy during the day. That’s why we came here at night.”

Fitz felt like the air was knocked out of him. He wanted to know about  _inhumans_. This proved his hypothesis then. He was after inhumans, to get them under Hive’s sway, and he was using Jemma as a major source of information.

And she was just  _standing_  there. And he couldn’t do anything but watch as that monster wrapped his arm around her waist again and kissed her temple.

“Fitz…” Jemma said quietly, and Fitz turned back to look at her. He saw tears glistening in her eyes. “I know this is hard for you, with Will being here, but I still want to be friends with you. You shutting me out like that really hurts… And I just don’t know what to do… I’m trying to reach out for you, but you keep pushing me away.”

Fitz didn’t know what he was hearing. Was she really  _that_  oblivious? Did she really not see how much she was hurting him. Was she really blaming  _him_  for their separation?

“It’s not me who’s pushing  _you_  away, Jemma…” He said quietly. “Goodnight.”

He walked out the lab but was halfway down the hallway when he was stopped again. Jemma had grabbed his wrist, and it didn’t seem like she was planning to let go.

“Just talk to him!” She pleaded. “You’ve so much in common! I’m sure you could be great friends if you just  _tried_!”

Where did she get the nerve? How could she not only ask him to accept the fact that she was in love with someone else, but to be  _friends_  with the guy as well?

“Jemma, I don’t  _want_  to be friends with him.”

He saw tears forming in her eyes.

“Fitz please… Don’t do it for him, do it for me…”

“No, Jemma. It’s time  _you_  do something for  _me_. If you really still care for me, even a little bit, you wouldn’t be asking me this. Just give me a break. Can’t you just leave me alone to recover in my own pace? I still love you, Jemma. I can’t just  _stop_  loving you!”

There was a moment of silence, before Will moved out into the hallway as well, and called out Jemma’s name.

Her hand was trembling, as her grip around his wrist slowly loosened. She hesitated for a moment, unsure of what to do.

“I’m sorry Fitz. But I can’t just stop loving Will either…”

She stayed in front of him for a while, silent, before she turned back around, and walked back to the lab. Once more, Fitz was left alone, heartbroken, and forgotten…


	6. Chapter 6

**Will’s POV**

Will was standing in the lab, waiting for Jemma to come back. When she finally did, she was in tears, and immediately fell into his arms.

“It’s not fair…” She said quietly. “I don’t want to lose him. I don’t want to hurt him, but whatever I do, someone I care about will be left alone…”

Will stroked her hair to soothe her. He didn’t want to see her crying. He still cared for her.

But he needed her too. He needed information. The knowledge she had on inhumans…

“It’s okay, Jemma. Just leave him. I’m sure he’ll come around eventually once he’s licked his wounds…”

_“Stop this useless sentiment. Find out what she knows! Don’t forget our true goal!”_

 

_“Watch it, Hive! I still care for her. And we don’t want her to suspect anything, do we? I’ve got this under control.”_

 

_“Do you? I’m losing my patience here, mister Daniels. Don’t make me change my mind about our little ‘arrangement’. I want to see results!”_

 

_“And I’ll get them! Just as promised. Trust me.”_

“Will? Are you okay?” Jemma suddenly asked.

He was pulled out of a trance-like state, and Hive’s voice disappeared in the background of his mind.

“Yes, of course I’m fine.”

“Are you sure? You seemed to kind of… zone out for a second.”

“Sorry Jemma, I’m just tired. Are you sure that  _you_ ’re okay? Don’t let Fitz get to you. He’s not worth it, remember?”

She took a deep breath and shook her head. “No, you’re right. Anyway, we came here for those inhumans. Ask me anything, I’ll tell you what you want to know. But I can assure you, they’re not dangerous. People like Daisy aren’t going to hurt you.”

Will put up a smile he hoped was convincing enough. “Well, that’s nice to hear. Sorry, it’s all just… new to me.” He kissed her temple for good measure and saw immediate results. She seemed to relax again and didn’t suspect a thing.

When he left the lab an hour later, he and Hive knew everything they needed to know about locating inhumans for their army.

_“Let’s start with the one that’s already here. The one they call Daisy. With her position in the team, and her close relation to the director, she’ll be essential for our plan to work!”_

 

_“Agreed. Just leave it to me, and I’ll get it done.”_

 ---------------------------------------------

**Daisy’s POV**

She was in the gym, punching one of the sandbags with all her might. She wasn’t wearing any gloves, and she felt a sharp pain with every blow, but she didn’t care.

“Stop it, Daisy!” She suddenly heard a voice behind her, and a hand pulling her back.

She turned around to face Bobbi, who examined the bruises on her knuckles.

“What do you think you’re doing?” she said accusingly. “This is not a proper training exercise.”

Daisy pulled back her hands and grabbed a bottle of water.

“I just needed to focus my anger somewhere. Don’t tell me  _you_ ’ve never done that.”

“Not in a way that was self-destructive.” She held up a pair of sparring gloves, which Daisy grudgingly accepted, before she continued her previous activity.

Bobbi just stayed there, watching silently, before she spoke again. “So, what is it? What happened?”

Daisy stopped punching again, before she looked back at Bobbi.

“It’s Fitz.” She said finally. “And Simmons.”

Bobbi took a deep breath and nodded. “So  _that_ ’s what’s bothering you. Look, Daisy, I get that it’s an awkward situation. Everyone here knows what Fitz feels for her, and how hard it is on him that she’s with Will now. But that’s for  _them_  to figure out.”

Daisy felt another wave of anger that she unleashed into the sandbag. “No, you don’t understand.” She took a moment to calm down before she continued. “I just can’t believe her. Fitz came to me and said that he’d talked to her. He told me some very horrible things about what Simmons said. She  _knows_  how much she means to Fitz, but still just casts him aside like yesterday’s trash! And she even asked him to be  _friends_  with Will!”

Bobbi fell silent, and it looked like she was completely taken aback by this revelation. Quite like how  _Daisy_ had felt herself after Fitz had told her.

“It sounds so  _unlike_  her…” Bobbi admitted quietly. “I’ve never seen her behave like this before.”

“Well, it looks like  _someone_  is going to have to put her back in place!” Daisy said angrily. “I can’t  _believe_  her!”

Right after she said that, she heard a soft whimper from behind her. As she turned around, she could just see Jemma walking away from the door, and back into the hallway.

How long had she been standing there? And how much had she heard?

\---------------------------------------------

**Fitz’s POV**

He was looking over the files again and again, hoping,  _praying_  to find another explanation. But he couldn’t.

Hive was Will.

Will was Hive…

And Jemma was in  _terrible_  danger…

He needed to talk to her and  _warn_  her.

But he couldn’t bear to look at her, even less when she was with Will…

And Will  _couldn’t_ find out, or he’d surely kill him.

With his heart beating rapidly in his chest, and his head going a hundred miles an hour, he picked up the files, and moved to Jemma’s room.

After he’d knocked on her door, he didn’t get an answer. He was about to look for her somewhere else, when she noticed the silent sobs coming from the other side of the door.

He carefully opened the door and walked in. Jemma was lying on the bed with her back to him, crying silently. Will was nowhere to be seen.

“Have you come to yell at me as well?” She said with a choked-up voice.

Fitz didn’t know what to do. He just stayed next to the door, frozen, as it fell shut behind him. Who’d been yelling at her? And for what? What happened to get her so upset?

“Are you okay? What happened?” He asked quietly.

She moved up and turned around, shocked. “Fitz?” Clearly, she hadn’t expected to see  _him_.

She dried her eyes quickly, before she put a careful smile on her face. However, seconds later, her smile faltered, and she turned her head away again.

“Fitz… I’m so sorry about what happened. I should’ve never pushed you like that… Just say whatever you came to say. I deserve it…”

Fitz didn’t know what to say. “Jemma, I’m not here to yell at you. I just found something that I thought you should see.”

She turned her head back to him, confused. “You’re not mad at me?”

“Of course not! Never!”

This seemed to calm her down a little, and she gestured for him to sit down next to her on the bed. But something was still bothering him.

“Where’s Will?”

Jemma shook her head. “I don’t know. Ever since he got back, he just leaves the base sometimes. And I can’t say that I blame him. He’s been away for so long; many things must have changed. It’s only natural that he wants to see what became of the world.”

Will was away. That was good. At least he wouldn’t have to deal with  _that_  right now.

“Okay…” He begun carefully. “That’s good, because we need to talk.” He showed her the files, but remained silent for a while, allowing her to make her own conclusions.

He tried to read her expression and see if she saw the same that  _he_  saw, but she just kept frowning. “Fitz, what am I looking at? What does this mean?”

He pointed at the DNA samples. “Here, you see this? The DNA of Wills’ mates are an exact match to this piece here in Hive’s DNA.”

She just kept frowning. “That’s odd… What do you think that means?”

Fitz took a deep breath. “Malick said that this thing can take over people. I think he meant that quite literally.”

“Meaning?”

“Meaning that Hive literally  _took them over_. That it just  _consumed_  them, their minds, and bodies. And maybe  _that_ ’s why it might have looked human to you when you were on Maveth, because it  _was_  human. Or at least it was  _inside_  a human’s  _body_!”

At this point, Jemma’s expression quickly changed from confusion into curiosity, while she kept staring at the files. “Fitz… That’s incredible! If what you’re saying is true, it’ll be unlike anything we’ve ever seen! Thank you! I’ll add it to my notes and look into it tomorrow.”

She was about to put the files away when Fitz stopped her. She didn’t  _get it_! She didn’t see what  _he_  was seeing!

“No, Jemma wait.”

She froze and looked at him shocked. “What’s wrong, Fitz? Why does this matter so much to you? That thing is stuck on that planet.”

“I don’t think it is.”

There was a moment of silence, as the realisation slowly seemed to hit Jemma. “Wait…” She stammered. “You mean to say that it took over someone, and came back through the portal? That it’s  _here_?”

Fitz nodded.

“But…” She continued. “the only people who ever came back from that planet were you, me, Coulson, and-”

She stopped mid-sentence, and her jaw dropped.

“I can’t believe it…” She said quietly.

Fitz felt a wave of relief. She understood now.

But he hadn’t expected what she said next.

“Leopold Fitz! I can’t believe it! How dare you?”

All his relief faded away. “I’m sorry?”

She got up from the bed and threw the files on his lap forcefully. “I can’t believe you! I knew this situation was hard on you, but this just takes it to a whole new level. Is this really how you’re trying to get me back? By making me believe that my boyfriend is a monster?”

What the hell? After everything he showed her, after everything he did for her, she just  _didn’t believe_  him!

“Jemma, that’s not what this is about! I showed you the proof! I’m just trying to protect you!”

“No! What you showed me were just some funny coincidences. And even if you  _are_  right, how can you prove that it has Will? You’ve been my best friend for as long as I can remember. But I never expected you to be this  _jealous_!”

_He_ ’d never expected her to be this  _unreasonable_ …

“Will you just shut up and think about it? Don’t you think it’s a little strange that Will is so interested in inhumans-”

“Or course he’s interested, he’s a scientist just like us-”

“-trying to create an inhuman army-”

“- away from home for over a decade-”

“-sway can control inhumans-”

“-And you’re just looking for dirt-”

“-you even know where he is right now-”

“-and why can’t you just let it go-”

They went back and forth a couple of times and were barely even listening to each other anymore. Fitz was trying to get through to her, but she just kept saying he was jealous.

And then suddenly it was quiet, as they both stared at each other, in disbelief. They stood there for several minutes, until Fitz couldn’t take it anymore.

“After everything I’ve done for you… After everything I’ve sacrificed for you… why can’t you just  _trust_  me?”

She didn’t have anything else to say in return, and just stared at the ground, with tears in her eyes.

He couldn’t keep this up. He couldn’t keep doing this. And if Jemma refused to listen to him, maybe it wasn’t worth the trouble…

He picked up the files and walked towards the door without looking back.

“So you’re just leaving now? After all that, after all that’s just happened here, you just walk away?” Jemma called after him.

Fitz froze, with his hand still on the doorknob, but didn’t turn around.

“Please…” She said quietly. “You’re my best friend in the world. You always have been…”

He turned around to see her tearstained face. Before he even realised it, he spoke.

 “I don’t think I am. And I don’t think I want to be.”

He saw the shock on her face, and how the wind was knocked out of her. But he didn’t feel anything for it. Not anymore. He just felt empty.

“Fitz, I don’t want to lose you…”

“I’m sorry… but you already have.”

Without saying another word, he walked out the room, and left her sobs to vanish behind him in the distance.

She didn’t even come after him.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! Yes, I'm still alive! I'm sorry for the long wait between the uploads.  
> Short version: My life had kind of come to a halt a while back, but when I started doing better, I had to pick up my life again. I got so busy with everything that my writing went on a back-burner. My apologies for that.  
> I have a new chapter here. I feel like it might be a bit rushed, so please give your honest opinions so that I can change it a bit later.  
> Love, Fabulanon

**Jemma’s POV**

She couldn’t do anything but watch as she saw the door close behind him. She just stood there, frozen. Not believing what he’d just said.

_“Please… You’re my best friend in the world. You always have been…”_

_“I don’t think I am. And I don’t think I want to be.”_

_“Fitz, I don’t want to lose you…”_

_“I’m sorry… but you already have.”_

 

She’d  _lost_ him. Fitz, her best friend since she was a teenager, didn’t want to see her anymore.

And Bobbi, Daisy… They were angry with her too. She was going to lose everyone she cared about.

She lost track of time as she started crying. She didn’t know how much time had passed when the door suddenly opened again. She was met with the friendly face of Will.

 

**Will’s POV**

Will was quietly listening to Jemma, as she told him about their fight. He felt a wave of anger, over how Fitz had just left her here, and ended their years-long friendship out of mere jealousy over  _him_.

It felt like Jemma wasn't telling him everything, but he couldn't tell what. She'd probably tell him in her own time anyway, so he didn't ask. Instead, he just listened to her silently, for as long as it took to calm her down.

After a while, after Jemma had fallen silent, she suddenly stood up. "I'm just going to get some water now. I'll be right back. But thank you for listening..."

She gave him a little peck on the cheek and walked out the room. But as Will was waiting for her to get back, he suddenly noticed something sticking out from under the bed...

Reaching over, he picked it up, and noticed that it was a file on Hive's DNA, with some notes next to it in Fitz's handwriting. Will just examined them for a moment, slowly realising what he and Jemma got into a fight over.

This was a problem.

_“This is an unforeseen complication. If he tells the director about this, everything will have been for nothing.”_

 

_“What would you have me do then?”_

 

_“Whatever you need to. Get him out of the way!”_

 

_"He’s a good man, and Jemma cares for him. I’m not going to kill him if that’s what you mean!”_

 

_“If you can find a way around it, feel free to do so. But if you fail me, I’ll just kill you anyway. Along with these people you so care about.”_

 

_“I won’t fail you, Hive. Just leave it to me…”_

 ---------------------------------------------

**Jemma’s POV**

_The next day…_

Jemma walked into the lab. She hoped that work would take her mind of the fight she’d had with Fitz the day before, but she couldn’t concentrate. Moreover, he’d probably have some work to do too, and could walk in here any moment.

Maybe that’s why she stayed in the lab, even after she’d realised that she wasn’t getting any work done. She was waiting for him. She wanted to talk to him. To… figure this out.

She felt conflicted. She felt lonely. And when a little after noon Fitz still hadn’t appeared in the lab, she decided to leave her work for what it was and look for Fitz elsewhere.

She tried his room first. No answer.

“Fitz?” She asked through the door, before opening it, and peeking inside. The room was empty.

She closed the door again and was about to walk away when May suddenly came walking towards her.

“He’s not in there?” She asked.

Jemma shook her head, which caused May’s expression to suddenly change. Though, of course, no one could ever read what she was thinking.

“What do you need Fitz for?” Jemma asked her.

“Coulson wanted to see him, but unfortunately, but no one has seen him.”

Jemma felt a sharp pain in her heart. Fitz was missing? She’d just seen him the day before.

“Well, he’s bound to be in the base somewhere, isn’t he?” She finally said. “I’ll send him your way when I find him.” She put up a careful smile, hoping that it would fool agent May.

It didn’t, she knew that, but thankfully May didn’t press on. She’d no idea what she would tell her if she did. She turned around and walked away a bit quicker than she meant to.

She had to find Fitz.

\---------------------------------------------

**Coulon’s POV**

Coulson was in his office when May returned.

“I’ve looked everywhere, sir, but no one knows where he is.”

This statement made him feel very uneasy. Something was wrong, but he didn’t know what.

“Fitz left a message on my phone last night, saying he had something very important to discuss. But he never came to say what he wanted to say. And the next day, he seemed to have vanished from the base entirely. Something tells me that’s no coincidence.”

“Maybe he just needed a break. A lot has happened recently. I can imagine it becoming a bit too much.”

Coulson considered this for a moment. Yes, Fitz had seemed troubled lately, but he still felt like there might be something more going on.

“Perhaps, but it’s not like him to just leave without saying a word. Something must have happened. But the only possible explanation for that is something very troubling.”

“You mean that something or someone must have infiltrated the base?”

“Malick. I don’t know how, but he must have done something. Double security on his cell and see if he knows anything about Fitz.”

“Right away sir.”

\---------------------------------------------

**Jemma’s POV**

She walked by the lab again, hoping that Fitz had gone there now, but it was still empty. Surely, he’d have something to work on, right?

She continued her search, until she finally bumped into Daisy.

“Hey, Daisy, have you seen Fitz by any chance?” She asked carefully.

Daisy didn’t walk away, but she did seem to avoid eye contact. Clearly, she was still angry.

Daisy remained silent for a while, before she took a deep breath, and finally spoke. “No, I haven’t seen him. But if I had, I wouldn’t tell you where to find him anyway.”

She proceeded to walk away, but Jemma quickly grabbed her wrist to stop her. “Daisy, wait. Please just hear me out – I can explain…”

“No, Simmons. Fitz clearly doesn’t want to see you, and, honestly, I can’t say that I blame him. After everything he did for you, don’t you think he deserves a little bit more respect?”

Jemma didn’t know how to respond. “Daisy, please. I’m worried. We got into a fight yesterday, and no one has seen him since.”

“And that surprises you? Judging from what I know, I wouldn’t be surprised if he just got sick of you and left.”

Jemma felt like all breath was knocked out of her. “Daisy… I’m so sorry…” she said quietly. “But you have to believe me, I didn’t mean for things to be like this.”

Daisy took a deep breath and seemed to calm down a bit again. She put her hand on her shoulder. “Don’t tell  _me_  that you’re sorry. Though I’m afraid you’re going to need to do a lot more than apologise if you want to fix this. If you can fix this at all.”

“I can’t just _leave_ Will, Daisy…”

“And no one is asking you to. You love who you love, nothing can change that. But you just tossed Fitz aside. You completely ignored what he felt for you. If you can’t return his feelings for you, that’s one thing, but don’t deny them.”

“I don’t think that matters now… He doesn’t love me anymore, he made that very clear…”

“I’m sorry, but you did that yourself. I can’t help you with that. And, quite frankly, I don’t want to. Now please excuse me, I’m going to look for Fitz too, maybe I’ll have more luck finding him than you do, since, you know, he won’t be  _avoiding_  me.”

She walked away without saying another word, leaving Jemma behind dumbstruck. Fitz didn’t want to see her, Daisy was angry with her. Bobbi was probably angry with her too from what she’d heard yesterday…

She was in too deep. She knew there was a chance for her to lose everything if she did this, but she didn’t have a choice. But in the end, none of it mattered anyway. Fitz was gone, and only she could fix this.

If anyone could at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Re-reading this chapter, I quickly realised that I made a mistake. I included one detail that wouldn't work with the current storyline I have in mind. I tried to see if I could work my way around it, but that wouldn't give you the satisfying ending you guys deserve. So I had to go back and change it. I tried to keep the change as small as possible, so here's a quick recap:
> 
> Jemma doesn't tell Will about Fitz's suspicions. She only says that they got into a fight. When she's out of the room, Will finds a file under the bed that Fitz must have dropped there, and quickly figures out that Fitz is onto him.
> 
> That's all the change I made. My apologies for this inconvenience.)


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! For the ones who've missed it, I'm afraid I had to change a small detail in the last chapter (I'm sorry). Please make sure you're aware of this when you continue reading.
> 
> Love, Fabulanon.

**Coulson’s POV**

He didn’t know what to think as he was staring at Gideon Malick’s dead body. After May had left to increase security on his cell, she’d returned quickly, saying that there’d be no need.

Now, Malick was just lying there, his eyes wide open, but lifeless, and his body slouching against the wall.

Now what were they supposed to do? There were so many things they still needed from him, but they could never ask him anything anymore.

Naturally, the first thing that Coulson did was asking for security tapes but May had beaten him to it.

“It’s no use. They’re all wiped, and whoever did it left no trace.”

“Are you sure there’s no way to figure out who did this? Have Fitz look it over, or Daisy-”

“I sent for Daisy as soon as I got here. But we still don’t have a trace on Fitz. And now, with Malick dead… Something tells me that’s no coincidence, Phil.”

“But what would Fitz have to do with Malick?”

May turned back to look at Malick, with a worried look on her face. However, she stayed silent.

Coulson repeated the question in his head a few times, hoping that it would jog something. But his head remained empty.

What would  _Fitz_  have to do with  _Malick_?

And if Malick was now dead, did that mean…?

He didn’t dare finish that thought.

\---------------------------------------------

**Jemma’s POV**

When she entered Malick’s cell, she was immediately met by the worried faces of Coulson and May. After that, her gaze drifted off to where Malick was lying lifeless on the floor.

“So, it’s true then… Malick is dead.” She said quietly.

She wasn’t sorry he was dead. She wouldn’t mourn him. It did, however, cause a problem. Who could have done this, and why?

She felt a chill run down her spine when she realised what her colleagues were looking so worried for:

It must have been someone from inside the base.

That was the only thing that made sense. No one else would be able to get in here, or even know he was in here in the first place.

“Can you figure out what killed him?” Coulson asked her.

She nodded, and quietly moved over to the body.

It didn’t take her long to figure it out. The bones in his neck were all fragmented, piercing his throat from the inside out, and suffocating him.

But the only one who could have done something like that…

She felt her stomach turn. She couldn’t tell them. She just  _couldn’t_.

**Coulson’s POV**

“So, Simmons, what’s the verdict? Do you have any idea who could’ve done this?”

She shook her head carefully. She tried to keep her face straight, but he could see that her hands were shaking.

“I’m sorry sir, I’m stumped. All I can say is that he was choked to death, but I have no way of telling who could’ve done it.”

She was holding back. But why?

“Simmons.” She said a bit more firmly. “You’re one of my most trusted people, and I have complete faith in your abilities. Are you sure there’s no way to tell who did this?”

Her hands were still shaking, but she didn’t change her answer. “No. I’m afraid the only way to find out is by the security footage. How are we doing on that?”

 

**Jemma’s POV**

She had never flat-out  _lied_ to Coulson before, but she had to do something to get them off Daisy’s trail.

Coulson was about to press on further, and Jemma feared that she wouldn’t be able to keep the truth to herself anymore. But then, one of the Junior agents entered the room.

“Sir, I’m sorry for interrupting-”

“Then why are you?”

“I’m sorry sir, but you sent for agent Johnson, correct? I’m afraid that no one knows where she is.”

Jemma could hear Coulson give a frustrated grunt, but she felt her heart drop.

First Fitz disappears.

Then Malick gets killed.

And Daisy is nowhere to be seen.

She quietly snuck out the room, leaving Coulson and the junior agent squabble behind her.

This was not how things were supposed to go.

\---------------------------------------------

**Fitz’s POV**

His eyelids felt heavy as he forced them open. It took a while for his vision to get into focus. But the dark edges of his vision, caused by his immense headache wouldn’t go away.

From what he could see: He was in a small, barren room. It felt old, and abandoned, as the wallpaper was missing in some places, and there were huge gaps in the plaster. And it was dusty, making it even harder for him to see properly.

The only thing present in the room were some pipes in the corner (for heating?), where he was tied to with both hands.

Using all the strength he could find, he tried to break free. Yet even though the building looked like it could collapse in on itself any moment, both the pipes and the ties wouldn’t budge.

Where was he? How did he get here? The last thing he remembered was the fight he had with Jemma, and him returning to his room. He’d fallen asleep there, and now, he’d woken up here.

The single door in the room suddenly opened, and he had to look up to the smug face of Will. In a wave of anger, he tried to jump up again, but he only managed to cut himself on the ties.

And Will didn’t say anything. He just stood there, taking him in. Probably deciding how to kill him.

“Go on with it then!” Fitz told him. “Kill me and be done with it, you bastard.”

Will just gave a little chuckle, which enraged Fitz even more.

“Oh, don’t worry about me killing you. I just needed to get you out of the way. That was a dangerous thing you tried to do, putting Jemma against me, but fortunately, it looks like you failed.”

“Don’t you dare touch her!”

“I’ll only touch her in the ways she wants me to.” Will continued with another smug grin. Fitz’s stomach lurched. That was not an image he wanted in his head.

“What do you want?” He choked out.

Again, Will remained silent for a while, as he started walking around the room.

“It’s not as much a matter of what  _I_  want. It’s about what  _It_  wants. Though you figured that out already, didn’t you?”

“So who am I speaking to now? Will or Hive?”

“Both.”

Fitz wanted to say so many things. He wanted to  _ask_  so many things, but he was just to dumbfounded to say another word. All he could think about was Jemma. He’d been right about Will, and now there was no one left to warn her. And this  _thing_  before him would probably use her as leverage so that  _he_  wouldn’t try to stop him.

However, just seconds later, he realised that it wasn’t just Jemma he had to worry about.

Daisy.

She casually walked into the room, and up to Hive, talking to him far to calm, and barely batting an eye about the fact that he, Fitz, was tied up like this.

“Malick is dead. He won’t be any more trouble to you, Hive.” She said.

Will responded with another smile. “Good. He will be pleased. I’m sorry to leave you, Fitz, but we have more work to do.”

He walked up to him, and when Fitz tried to resist, he punched him forcefully, and shoved a gag in his mouth.

“Just keep quiet, and we might let you go after all this is over, you understand?”

Fitz couldn’t do anything as they walked out of the room and left him alone in the dark again.

 

**Will’s POV**

“So, what happened?” He asked Daisy.

“I killed Malick, the team is probably investigating his death as we speak, but I destroyed all video evidence. We’re safe, for now.”

_“Good. I knew she’d come in useful. And you did mildly alright with capturing Fitz. We might still have a chance to go through with our plan.”_

“What is Hive saying?” Daisy asked suddenly. “Can I speak with him?”

Will shook his head, and Hive’s voice disappeared into the background. “Hive says he’s pleased with your work. We’re gaining control over our plan again.”

“That’s good… I can’t wait.” Daisy said, with a slightly dreamy look in her eyes, caused by the sway. “I should go back, though. We don’t want anyone in S.H.I.E.L.D. get suspicious.”

“Perfect. And when you do so, try to pull attention away from this guy’s disappearance.”

He pointed to the door behind which Fitz was locked. Daisy gave but a short nod.

“Well, he and Simmons  _did_  get into a big fight. Should be a plausible explanation as to why he left. I’ve already tried to convince  _her_  of that. If Will keeps her occupied in the meantime, everything will be back on track soon.”


	9. Chapter 9

**Fitz’s POV**

He had no idea how long it’d been. It could have been hours, it could have been days… All he knew was that he was still locked up in that damned room.

Every once in a while, someone who Fitz estimated to be a swayed inhuman, let him out to use the bathroom, or came in with some food and water. But he never spoke, and never stayed long. He hadn’t even seen Will or Daisy since their last encounter.

Of course, he’d tried to escape. Many times. But Will knew how smart and ingenious he was and limited the supplies that entered the room. He was only fed with paper plates and cutlery, and though they were kind enough to untie one of his hands while eating, the other one always remained firmly tied to the pipes.

He was tired of fighting at this point. He was too tired to come up with a solution out of this. He could only hope that one day, Jemma would figure it out, and believe him on what he’d told her. He didn’t even care if this was the end for  _him_ , and he’d never see her again, if it meant that  _she_ ’d be safe…

 ---------------------------------------------

**Daisy’s POV**

No one suspected a thing. After she’d returned to the base, people had asked questions, naturally. Though she’d managed to brush them away, saying something about looking for Fitz. That way, the attention would be more drawn to  _his_  disappearance, rather than  _hers_. Moreover, she’d still be judged as the caring person that was part of the team.

Of course, over the week, Coulson had sent out search parties for Fitz, but they couldn’t find him. Daisy’d made sure to cover her tracks thoroughly. And in the meantime, with all attention drawn away from her, she had all the freedom to do some snooping through Simmons’ work, and find any useful information that she’d been reluctant to tell Will.

And with Hive recruiting new inhumans… everything was sure to be back on track soon.

**\---------------------------------------------**

**Fitz’s POV**

It was quite startling how the door was suddenly flung open, and the swayed inhuman threw something into the room.

Even more startling was that this time, for the first time in days, the inhuman was joined by Will again.

Something was wrong. Will looked furious. Something had taken him over. His eyes were dark and hollow, his entire posture stiff, and cold. From the outside he looked just the same that he always had, and yet, he looked different. He looked a lot less  _human_.

He barely had time to process before Hive moved down, and roughly pulled upright what the inhuman had thrown onto the floor.

For the first few moments he didn’t believe what he was seeing…

Hive was holding Jemma, pulling her upright by her hair. Her face was contorted in pain, and her arms were uncomfortably tied behind her back. Yet the tears that were flowing down her face weren’t of pain. He saw guilt, and regret in her eyes, as she stared down at him, silently begging for forgiveness.

_“I guess you were cleverer than we thought!”_   Will said in a strange voice. The voice was calm but cold, and made a shiver run down Fitz’ spine.

He didn’t know what to make of the situation, as his head was crowded with confusing questions, until Hive suddenly held a gun to Jemma’s head.

She tried to control her breathing and closed her eyes.

“I’m so sorry Fitz…” She said quietly.

Fitz tugged on his restraints, hoping that this would be motivation enough to finally break them, but they still wouldn’t budge.

“No! Wait! Please!” He screamed at Hive but Hive only grinned back at him.

_“Mister Daniels clearly underestimated you two. I see no use in keeping you alive now. But first, tell me, how long have you two been working together?”_

Fitz mind was spinning. ‘Working together’? What was he talking about? But before he could answer, Jemma spoke up.

“We haven’t. This is on me. Kill me. Let  _him_ go.”

What the hell was she saying? Was she insane? She was at gunpoint, as she was just telling Hive to shoot her?

He closed his eyes, both as a precaution for what might play out in front of him in mere moments, and to give himself the space to think as hard as possible for a possible solution. His mind ran across every possible scenario on how this might play out, and he was hoping to find one that would end right. Even if that meant only  _she’d_ get out alive…

 

**Jemma’s POV**

This was it. After everything that’d happened, after everything she’d done… she was going to die. She’d known that getting caught was a possibility as soon as she came here, but she’d hoped to at least have enough time to give Fitz an explanation for her behaviour. She’d made her peace with dying, but not with so many things left unsaid. She didn’t want their fight to be their last conversation.

She felt Hive press the gun slightly deeper into her head. There were so many things she wanted to say to Fitz before she died. But she couldn’t find the right words to say and remained silent.

But then, she could feel Hive’s grip loosening, and the gun pulling away, before she was pushed forward slightly, further into the room. She stumbled for a moment, unable to keep her balance with her hands tied behind her back, but then she regained her footing, and looked back at Hive.

He was still pointing the gun her way, but the look in his eyes changed.

“That’s enough, Hive!” He said aloud. “It doesn’t have to be like this, give me one last chance.”

But then his face changed, and the cold voice spoke again.  _“No, you’ve had your chance. Keeping you alive was a mistake. I don’t need you anymore.”_

“Just one more chance, I can fix this! Let me talk to them!”

There was a moment of earie silence, and time seemed to stop. Then after a slight pause, the cold voice spoke again.

_“Fail me again and you’ll regret it.”_

Jemma had watched as Hive tried to take over Will, but for now it seemed to calm down again. The person talking to her right now was clearly Will, not Hive.

“Jemma, please. You know I still love you-” he started.

But she interrupted him, feeling sickened by his attempt to manipulate her like that. “Save it. You played me. You used me. I was nothing but a tool to you and your new friend to gain information!”

There was another moment of silence. Will’s face looked shocked, and she was sure that her comment managed to hurt him, even if just a little bit.

But then his expression suddenly changed, as a grin formed on his face.

“Oh, but Jemma, you were so much more than that… We had so much more planned for you…”

She tried to keep her face straight but couldn’t help but feel threatened as he slowly walked towards her.

“Stop! Get away from her!” Fitz shouted from behind her, but Will barely seemed to acknowledge him anymore.

To be honest, even she’d forgotten about him for a moment. But when your alien-possessed ex-boyfriend is trying to kill you, who can blame you for that?

Will continued. “Surely you’ve figured out our plan by now? We want to turn every human being into an inhuman. Can you imagine? The entire human race, evolved into a new, beautiful species. The next generation! The last thing we needed was a scientist with enough knowledge about inhumans to set our plan into motion.”

So  _that_  was what this was about. They needed  _her_  to create their army of inhuman zombies…

Will walked even closer. Every part of Jemma wanted to run away, but she didn’t move. She just continued to glare at him.

“And of course, Hive has very generously promised that those who help him, will be among the first to turn. Wouldn’t that be amazing?”

He was now standing in front of her, he lowered the gun, and moved his hand to her cheek, stroking it tenderly.

She felt sickened by the touch, and moved her head away to avoid his hand, but he quickly grabbed her chin, and turned it back to him.

“Don’t fight me Jemma… Join us. We can make you beautiful. We can make you perfect. How do some angelic wings sound?”

She took a deep breath.

“Go back to hell.”

He was unprepared, and too late to dodge away as she headbutted him. Yes, she’d admit, it hurt  _her_  too, but still, it felt good. She couldn’t help but smirk as she watched him stumble back, his nose bleeding.

But her victory was short-lived, as he pointed the gun at her again.

“Don’t say I didn’t give you a chance to work with me Jemma…” He said angrily. “I’d so hoped you’d join us.”

He gestured to the inhuman, and he quickly moved towards her, before pulling her down, and tying her up next to Fitz.

Just moments later, the door was closed shut, and the two of them were left alone in the darkness…


	10. Chapter 10

**Fitz’s POV**

The first few minutes felt like hours…

The first few hours felt like days…

Jemma was silently sitting next to him, struggling to move, since the inhuman had tied her down in an uncomfortable position.

His own hands were just in front of him, and he was turned slightly sideways by the way they were tied to the pipes. But her hands were still behind her back, and her arms were sure to get stiff and sore soon, especially with the way she’d been treated just now.

He didn’t know what to say to her. He loved her, and he wanted her to be alright, and get out of here alive. Yet, some part of him was still angry with her. He’d been right about Will, and she’d flat-out ignored his warnings. And now, they were stuck here, and she had barely even looked him in the eyes yet.

But his mind was also filled with questions. How did she get here? And where was the rest of the team? Did they know? Did she tell them?

There were so many things he wanted to say to her. So many things he wanted to ask, but he was at a loss.

And then, after a long time, she suddenly broke the silence.

“Just go ahead and say it. I know you want to.”

“Wait, what-”

“You were right about Will, okay? Just say ‘I told you so’.”

Was she serious?

“This? Now? You want to do this now?” He asked her. “I’m sorry, but I don’t think this might be the best moment to talk, since, you know, we’ve been kidnapped by an alien psychopath.”

She sighed. “Fitz… I think this is exactly the right moment to talk. We’re stuck here anyway, and I assume you’ve already tried everything to get out. Moreover, there’s a high likelihood we won’t ever get out of here…”

She looked away from him.

“We’re going to die down here, and it’s all my fault…”

Fitz didn’t know what to say. For a moment, he forgot how angry he was with her. He didn’t want to see her hurt or scared.

“It’s not  _your_  fault, it’s  _Will’s_.” He said quietly. “Or  _Hive_ ’s, but I think that’s the same thing.”

But she just shook her head.

“He’s here because of  _me_. Because I made you get him back for  _me_. And then we let him into the base because  _I_  trusted him. And  _I_ told him things he wasn’t supposed to know.” 

Fitz bit his tongue. He wanted to comfort her, to say she was wrong, but he couldn’t. Because she  _wasn’t_ wrong.

Another uncomfortable silence fell over them, even longer than the last. It was a strange occurrence. For as long as they’d known each other, they’d rarely had conversations fall silent. They always had  _something_  to talk about. And even when they didn’t, their minds seemed to be so in line with each other that they didn’t even  _have to_  talk to make things clear to one another. One of the reasons why Daisy’d always insisted that they were psychically linked.

But now, there was nothing between them. Nothing but a lot of unfinished arguments, and confusing questions. And no matter how hard he tried, he just couldn’t figure out what she was thinking.

“Do you love him?”

He’d blurted it out before he realised it. He’d asked her once before, but after everything that’d happened, he needed to ask her again. Because if she did, she might change her mind about joining him, and he’d lose her forever…

She remained silent for a while, still avoiding his gaze.

“I told you before, I don’t know… I think… I think I did… at least for a while…”

There was another pause, before she quietly said something that Fitz couldn’t quite hear.

“I’m sorry?” He asked her.

She took a deep breath and turned her face towards him before she repeated what she’d said, slightly louder now.

“I think that when we were on Maveth… he was the closest thing I had to replace  _you_ with…”

For the first moment, he couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

“Why would there be any need to replace me?” He asked quietly.

Jemma looked up at him now and gave a half-hearted laugh. “Please don’t make me say it…”

“After everything you put me through, I think I have the right to hear you say it.”

She stayed silent.

He didn’t know what to make of her. It was quite frustrating to be honest. However, he knew that for the time being, he couldn’t get any more out of her, so he decided to ask her another pressing question.

“How did you find me?”

He’d thought it would be a simple question to answer, but her expression remained uncomfortable.

“Daisy. She led me here. At least, not directly…”

“What do you mean?”

“Malick is dead. And by the looks of it, she killed him. That’s how I knew she was swayed. I put a trace on her. I hoped that it would lead me back to Hive’s hiding place… and to you.”

Instead of giving an answer, Jemma had now only given him more questions.

“Last time we spoke, you seemed less than enthusiastic about the claim that your boyfriend was taken over by an alien monster. What made you change your attitude so quickly?”

“Fitz…”

“No, Jemma. After everything we’ve been through together, you just couldn’t trust me! You just couldn’t believe me! I just thought I meant more to you than that!”

“No, but Fitz-”

“At least tell me you told Coulson. That the team knows everything and is on their way here now.”

Again, she didn’t answer. Fitz’s blood was boiling at this point, and it took all of his self-control to not completely lose it.

“Fitz… of course I believed you… As soon as Will came back, he was different. I felt that something was… off. Though of course I didn’t know what, until that night I caught you in the lab going through all my things. I knew you wouldn’t do that without good reason. So, early the next morning, I went back to see what you’d been looking at, and I quickly found the same connections that you’d found.”

She was silent for a while, as Fitz was staring at her unbelievingly, trying to make sense of what she was telling him.

“Honestly Fitz, I think you were quite brilliant. You figured out all the things that I couldn’t. And yes, at first I was reluctant to believe it, but the science checked out. You were right, Fitz.”

Fitz looked down. This wasn’t enough for him. After everything she did, he just couldn’t trust her anymore. Even if what she said was true, it didn’t change her actions. And it didn’t change the fact that she’d been lying to him.

“Then why did you push me away? Why did you keep running around with your handsome astronaut if you knew?”

Jemma looked defeated.

“Fitz… you weren’t there on Maveth with me. You didn’t see how dangerous that monster is... the things he can do. But I know  _Will_. I can handle  _Will_. I just hoped that as long as I could keep him believing that I didn’t suspect anything, Hive remained docile.”

This was the very last thing he’d ever expected her to say. She knew. She  _knew_  all this time! He felt a sharp pang of betrayal, and couldn’t even bear to look at her anymore, as the first tears formed in his eyes.

“Then why didn’t you just  _tell me_? We could’ve worked together on this. We could’ve fixed this. Together, like we always have…”

“It was the only way to keep Will docile… making him believe that I was still with him. I was trying the best I could do figure out a way to stop him when he was out, but I just couldn’t ask you for help. If he found out… I didn’t know what he’d do to you…”

Another silence fell between them, and Fitz was just lost for words. So, after a while, Jemma continued.

“This was  _my_  fault.  _I_  had to fix it. I didn’t want to drag you with me in this, so I had to keep you away. And then when you came to my room that night, and told me about your suspicions, I just didn’t know what to do. If Will found out that you were onto him-”

“Wait, so you didn’t tell him?”

She was silent for a while, staring him down with disbelief in her eyes.

“Do you really think I’d ever tell someone you believe to be a dangerous monster that you’re onto him? Even if I don’t believe you, I have never once mistrusted you. I’d never put you in danger like that, Fitz…”

“But then how-”

His sentence was cut short when the door suddenly flung open again, and a dark figure pointed a gun into the room.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Long gone, but back again. I'm sorry for the long wait. I sort-of wrote myself into a corner, and couldn't continue the story the way I wanted to. This discouraged me from going on. I'd thought of going back a bit, and rewriting parts to remove the mistakes, but never really got around to doing that. However, I finally finished taking out the mistakes, and have the next chapter here.  
> If you wonder about the things I've changed, it wasn't really all that much. The first 6 chapters are mostly the same, and from chapter 7 I've changed tiny bits of dialogue and things from Jemma's perspective, to have her actions make a bit more sense in the end (I hope).  
> Please feel free to comment if you still think things are "off", I'd like to take a look at it to make everything fit again.  
> Love, Fabulanon.

**Jemma’s POV**

Fitz looked startled, but Jemma immediately spoke up.

“What the hell took you so long?” She asked.

The figure stepped forwards into the light and lowered their gun. Bobbi quickly walked over to them and released them.

“Sorry, Daisy was being difficult when I arrived here. It took me a while to take her out without hurting her.”

She rushed forwards and quickly started untying them. “Are you two alright?”

“We’re mostly fine.”

But then Bobbi saw the look on Fitz’s face, and she froze.

“Am I interrupting something…?” She asked carefully.

Bobbi stopped untying them. Half-sarcastically she said: “I could also just leave you here if you prefer that?”

“No! Please don’t! Please just get us out of here, my arms are getting sore.”

**\---------------------------------------------**

**Bobbi’s POV**

On her way into the Hive’s lair, she’d found it mostly empty. Will/Hive wasn’t there, and there were only a few swayed inhumans in the building, including Daisy. She’d managed to knock her out and get her back to the quinjet she and Simmons came with. Now, the way back with Fitz and Simmons by her side was mostly calm, though she did keep her batons at hand just in case.

 “Okay, so, Bobbi… How did you get here? Were you two working together on this?” Fitz asked suddenly, after they’d returned to the quinjet.

But before Bobbi could answer, Jemma did it for her.

“When I found out about Daisy, I just couldn’t tell Coulson. As the director of S.H.I.E.L.D., he’d be forced to do the responsible thing and lock her up, while she’d be the only way to find you.”

Bobbi cut in. “But of course, I knew she was hiding something. I’d already suspected for a while that she was, and when she flat-out lied about the fact that she didn’t know who killed Malick, that was all the motivation I needed. I confronted her just when she was making that tracer for Daisy and made her tell me everything.”

Fitz brought his hand to his head. And started pacing through the ship. “That still doesn’t explain why you just didn’t ask anyone else for help in the first place.”

Jemma looked down at the ground, guilt in her eyes. “This was my own fault anyway, _I’d_ have to be the one to fix it…”

Fitz’s jaw dropped. “You do realise that that makes _no_ sense, right? We could all have helped you.” Fitz said quietly.

Bobbi was about to start up the quinjet, but she stopped now. To be honest, she herself was quite curious to hear what would’ve caused Simmons to take this course of action. Simmons, of all people, who’d always been one of the people who did everything according to the rules.

When she didn’t answer, Fitz pressed on. “Don’t you _want_ us to help you? Don’t you want _me_ to help-?”

“No, I don’t.” She blurted out.

Both Bobbi and Fitz were taken aback by this revelation, and Fitz looked like he was about to have a mental breakdown.

But then Simmons back-paddled at bit, and added: “Fitz, ever since we joined this team, I’ve always felt more like a burden than any help. If something happened to me, like when I got sick with that alien virus, or when I was almost discovered in Hydra, or even back on Maveth… I always got into trouble. Someone always had to risk their life to save poor, helpless Jemma Simmons. And look at how many people died, or got hurt because of that… I can’t do that anymore. I can’t keep asking people to sacrifice everything to clear up the mess that _I_ made… And especially not you…”

 

**Fitz’s POV**

An earie silence fell over the plane. The only sound to be heard was that of the engines of the quinjet, as Bobbi finally powered them up. Fitz just stared at Jemma, unable to say anything.

She’d turned around now, and stood with her back to him, doing everything she could to hold back her tears.

“I’m so sorry Fitz… I’m so sorry for everything I did to you…”

Fitz took a deep breath. “You should’ve told me…” He said quietly.

Jemma turned back around to face him. “I just didn’t want to see you get hurt because of me again-”

“So you lied to me! You pushed me away. What made you think that that would hurt me any less than just telling me the truth? Even if you were scared, you could’ve explained it to me. Let me decide for myself!”

“Fitz…”

She fell silent again.

The silence lasted for a couple of minutes, and the only sound to be heard were the engines of the quinjet.

“You should’ve told me…” Fitz quietly repeated, before he turned his back on her, and walked away.

 

**Jemma’s POV**

As she watched Fitz walk away, she slowly lowered herself into one of the seats of the quinjet. She didn’t go after him. Though she wanted to, she could tell that Fitz really didn’t want to talk to her anymore.

She just sat there, alone, waiting for Bobbi to fly them back to the base. At least their mission was successful. They managed to save both Fitz, and Daisy, and Jemma even got a chance to explain het motivations to Fitz.

But het hoped that she’d be able to fix things with him decreased by the minute. Maybe she shouldn’t have lied to him. Maybe she should’ve told him, and they could’ve fixed this together, just like he said.

But she couldn’t. Fitz had already done too much for her, she couldn’t bear to put him through more. So when she’d found out about Will, she knew she had to keep Fitz away as far as possible, even if that meant losing their long-lost friendship. She had to keep him safe.

How could she have known that Fitz was so stubborn? That he would continue his investigation anyway? How could she have known that Hive would find out?

She lowered her head. Hive was still out there. They’d managed to rescue Daisy, but they hadn’t stopped _him_. And when they got back to the base, she’d have to face the music. She’d have to explain how she got everyone into this mess, and _they_ were going to have to fix it.

_Again_.

She wished she’d just died on that bloody planet.

 ---------------------------------------------

**Coulson’s POV**

Coulson didn’t say anything as Jemma was sitting in front of him, explaining the situation. He was trying to process, but it was a lot to take in. And unfortunately, Fitz could only confirm the awful things she was saying.

After a long silence, of him thinking everything through, he finally responded to Simmons.

“When exactly were you planning on telling me about this?” He said calmly.

Jemma took a deep breath. “I’m so sorry, sir. I did everything I could to try and fix-”

“And yet we’re still in this mess.” He cut her off. “Fitz was kidnapped, someone inside our base turned out to have a second agenda, Daisy has been compromised, and the entire world is at stake. You knew about this, and you never, _once_ , thought that I should know?”

“I just couldn’t tell anyone…”

“And so you just put everyone here at risk?”

Coulson was furious. He entire world was about to explode, and he was going to have to solve it. And he hadn’t had any time to prepare. He even know where to start.

“Listen, Simmons. I understand why you did it. I know you, and I know you’ve never had any bad intentions. I understand that you did what you thought was right. But we need to solve this. Hive is probably on the run, and we have no idea where he is. We need to find him, and we need to take him out. Do you have any idea where to start?”


End file.
